Mud may have been an unfamiliar sight to many of the snowbound northern riders who churned up the track at the first round of the new Future West British Columbia Motocross Championships race series.
The series launched at the Eagle Motorplex, near Ashcroft, March 16-17, with three young riders from the South Cariboo in the mix.
Patrick Griffin had a good start for his season, easily placing third in the Beginner division on his new 213cc Honda bike.
Last year, Griffin raced in his first year of competition on a second-hand Kawasaki 125 and placed seventh overall in the BCMA Motocross Championship British Columbia North series.
With more horse power under him and sponsorship this season from Williams Lake Honda, he is anticipating good results all year.
"The new bike is awesome. It has way more power than my last bike and goes way faster. I'm pretty happy because this was my first day riding the new bike and it felt a lot faster and more sturdy."
Griffin plans to move up into the Junior B class soon and says he hopes to be a top contender.
Brad Perron, racing in the Junior B division on a Kawasaki 250, had a tough start to his season. He was fourth just after the start of his first race but got caught in a five-bike tangle, which resulted in a leg injury and left him at the back of the pack.
Despite the setback, he gave it a shot in the second race, but his injury caused him to ease up on the gas and coast to a 20th-place finish.
Brandon Watrich did not race, but took the opportunity to put in a few hours practising at a time of year when snow still covers local trails.
With winter still having a tight hold on the South Cariboo, the local riders haven't had anywhere close to home to train, so for now, they'll be heading down to Ashcroft and Kamloops to get time in on their bikes.
The Future West provincial series will include races in Victoria, Mission, Chilliwack, Pemberton and the Okanagan.
The BCMA series begins on April 20, and between it and Future West, the boys expect to be competing most weekends until October.
The next Future West race is April 7 in Mission.